the last piece
by crimson-clee
Summary: Rima hoped it was here in this moment between them that he found the last piece to complete his self-destructing pattern of redemption. // shima, dedicated to cubie //


Disclaimer: Yes, I own Vampire Knight. In my dreams.

* * *

x

**the last piece**

x

_Decicated to cubie. Just because._

x

Rima jolted up, her eyes straying over the room without really realizing things at first.

Her chest was about to burst open because of her racing heart. A nightmare. _The_ nightmare. She had lived through it over and over again. Although she knew its course by heart, the fear was different each time even though it was a roller coaster from nearly a hundred years ago. It _was_ crazy. _Madness_.

She felt the film of transpiration dry off her skin when she heated the air with invisible crackles of electricity. Eventually, the erratic thumping of her heart slowed into steady beats, and as slowly, her vision cleared. Right before the moment the colors and patterns formed into shape, she registered him standing across the room.

The setting sun's last orange rays coming from the window caught in his hair and made it look as though his head was set on fire. Which would be probably possible, with the air being charged and thick.

Rima just looked at Shiki, taking in his posture of sagged shoulders and his hands hidden in his trouser pockets. He had probably been standing there for some time. Her gaze wandered up, followed the familiar lines of his chin and mouth. She dreaded for her eyes to go higher than his cheekbones, quickly skipping to his flaming hair. As always, its strands were disarranged as if he just got up from bed. Maybe he had, she didn't know – she had been the unconscious one for some time.  
No, no, that was old. She'd just been asleep. Blinking she tried shaking off the odd feeling between dream and reality. For an instance, the old sorrow rose.

"Rima," Shiki said.

His voice was calling out the two syllables of her name like one. He was the only one who could make them melt into one another like he was bending the rules of pronunciation and wording for her sweet pleasure. It wasn't the tone of a stranger like she'd dreaded.

She skipped looking at his smooth perfection of a face; it was already too late for stopping herself from glancing at his eyes. _Familiar_ eyes. Relief flooded her mind as there were two azure blue ones looking right back at her. Just _a_ nightmare.

"You know," she said, a smile forming on her face, "I really hate that color. Auburn. Especially on your face."

"Rima," he began again, stopped and averted his face to watch the sky's colors fade. Suddenly, she knew that he knew. Ruka must've spilled something about her fitful sleeping.

"I'm sorry."

_As__ you've been ever since_. The curve on her lips started to sting. "Stop apologizing already."

"It was my fault–"

"When you were like that," she cut in, "you were the last person I ever wanted to see again." Her fists clenched around the blanket. Reminiscence? She hated it.

He swiftly turned around. "And when you got through to me, when you… Rido… "As though he didn't know how to continue he raked a hand through his hair. It rather looked like he was bringing flames to life. But they didn't burn, they didn't hurt like the past. She saw the bags under his eyes when he skimmed her most likely disheveled, maybe pasty-faced appearance. It had been just a dream, a bad, sickening one at that.

Rima felt the air tingle on her skin, but she knew this time she wasn't the cause. He'd tried to bring it up more than once over time, and just like that she had brushed it off. She felt no need to talk about it, to feel it again; he, however, was being masochistic.

"Shiki," she started softly this time. Wounds don't heal if you tear them open again and again, she wanted to tell him.

"No!" He said loudly.

Just for the volume of his voice she froze and waited, looking at him, his cloudy eyes, and realized _he_ was the one really hurting. For her, although she had long forgiven him; for himself, not being able to grant his own forgiveness. He wouldn't stop until he had the chance to end this. Rima hoped it was here in this moment between them that he found his last piece to complete his self-destructing pattern of redemption.

It seemed to take him forever to find the words. "I knew. But I also knew if I were ever to be free again, you were the only person I ever wanted to see again."

"I know."

"You know?" He looked up, startled. The flame-like highlights had started to dim. "You knew, too?"

Rima nodded. "That's why the thought about never wanting to see you again only lasted for that second." She had already forgiven him the second it happened. After all, though she couldn't wipe it from her memory, all the past had become was hazy nightmares and the reminder in his eyes' expression. But maybe now…

The smile returned to her face as his eyes lit up slowly and he stepped up beside her. Rima couldn't help finding it funny to watch this sort of revelation dawn on him before he closed the distance between them. They had been part of a two-piece puzzle long before that mess had happened.

"Forgiveness," Shiki whispered in her hair.

x

* * *

It's sweet, it's fluffy and it doesn't really make any sense; I like it anyway. I'm down with the flu, so the meds are at fault. Almost every other project is on short-time hiatus, including also reviews and replies O.O at least until my vision stops confusing the pixels.

What was I saying? Oh yeah, it would really make me feel better if you told me about the sweet, fluffy and whatnot part, anything appreciated :D Thanks for reading!


End file.
